Vacation (3)
Sisilia, dressed in her pajamas, walked through the dungeon's interior. Spotting the crudely scrawled words ‘Not Boss Room’ confirmed that Fern was holed up here.
Not Boss Room
She pushed open the door to find a pint-sized demon prostrated on her knees, forehead pressed to the ground.
“Wh-what an honor for such a noble guest to visit this humble abode…”
“It really is humble.”
The dungeon was little more than a slightly oversized cave. At least the clusters of mana stones sprouting here and there suggested decent resources—small mercies.
“I-I'm working hard on it!”
Fern's face fell into a pout. Sisilia breezily ignored it.
“Give me the details.”
Fern launched into her explanation. Her storytelling skills were abysmal—half of it was gibberish—but Sisilia grasped the essentials. And they were utterly absurd.
“So, to confirm: they're planning to invade as soon as possible, but you've interpreted that as ‘in one hour’?”
Fern tilted her head like a curious chicken. “Why repeat yourself like that?”
Sisilia clutched her throbbing temples. My mistake.
Should she be relieved that demons weren't that unhinged? Or grieve that Fern was dumber than a chicken? She couldn't decide. Her lips twitched as she bit down hard.
“Thanks. Wasted my whole morning because of you.”
The oblivious Fern scratched her head and beamed. “Haha… no biggie.”
Sisilia flashed a sweet smile and grabbed one of Fern's twintails in a single fistful—the convenient handle she'd designed specifically for easy killing.
“……Wanna just die?”
“Sorry! I'm sorry!”
Sisilia pondered ending her for a solid three seconds before letting go. She was too well-customized to waste. Especially those ‘swirly eyes’—tricky to pull off.
“Then make yourself useful.”
“I'll work super hard…!”
“But how can I trust you?”
Fern bowed even deeper. “I-I was always teased for being ugly among demons, but when I went to Walpurgis this time, everyone said I was pretty!”
Yeah, obviously. Sisilia had poured her heart into the customization. Demon or not, if you're bothering, why not make her cute?
“I'm… I'm so happy. You're my lifelong benefactor, Lady Sisilia! I'd never betray someone like you!”
Fern sniffled out her gratitude. If only her brain matched.
Anyway, the demons' invasion was definitely coming sooner. No exact date, but radicals like them wouldn't drag their feet. Two weeks at the earliest, a month tops.
That's a problem.
Newbies hadn't even started arriving yet. A double EXP event this early? The gap with NPCs would widen, ramping up ‘newbie harassment.’ And the real worry:
What if the newbie summons get pushed up because of this major invasion?
Sisilia was a total newbie fanatic. But preparations were still half-baked. Summoning them now would be a disaster. Blocking this invasion was ideal, if possible.
To do that:
“……Information first.”
Her voice was flat and dry. “Cain Baltarion.”
“……!”
“You know him?”
Tears welled in Fern's eyes as she nodded.
“Was he at this Walpurgis?”
“N-no……”
So the root cause is the Demon King's weak control, as expected. Only one other possibility: a Demon World Duke with Demon King-level power leading the radicals. That option was off the table now.
“But why? With that much power, why's he still just a duke……?”
He'd said he didn't want to be Demon King yet. But that implied no interest at all? No—he had some ambition. So why stay put? His strength was plenty.
Fern piped up at Sisilia's musing. “If you're curious, wanna buy some intel?”
“……You can sell it?”
“Yep!”
Fern grinned proudly, like she'd closed a big deal. “Demon God one-question pass for 200,000 tera!”
That's a total cheat code!
Sisilia perked up. “Sold.”
“I got no money!”
“……”
“Spent it all on research. Hehe.”
Fern gazed up with pure, expectant eyes. Her Supreme Dignity Lady Sisilia will spot me, right?
Sorry, but Sisilia was broke too. Demon cash? Nonexistent. But she had a plan.
Sisilia crossed her legs, shoved her hands in her pajama pockets. Classic delinquent pose.
“Loan me.”
“!”
Shwaaak—. A purple orb materialized in the center of Fern's dungeon. She poked it nervously with a finger. Permission granted; it popped with a pop.
Suddenly, a demon in a red suit was bowing deeply.
“An honor to meet you. I am Cocoon, merchant of the Demon World, at your service, Sin of Envy.”
Cocoon's black eyes darted greedily. Fern stammered, “H-hi.”
“Oh ho, new digs, eh? Smells like a fresh dungeon.”
Cocoon sniffed around. His gaze snagged on something: Sisilia, standing quietly with a pathetic look.
He approached with interest. “Oho! Is this the guardian crafted by Envy herself? Looks plenty strong!”
“Uh, yeah.”
“You've finally secured a proper ‘Perfect Butcher’!”
Cocoon poked Sisilia's cheek gingerly with exaggerated flair. “Hmm, feels real too. But why the tacky pajamas?”
Sisilia's face twitched faintly; her silver-blue eyes swirled with murderous intent.
“Eek!”
Cocoon toppled backward. “Th-the eyes just moved……”
“I-it's a gimmick.”
Sweat dripped from Fern's brow. Sisilia thought, Maybe this was a bit much, and prepped to draw her sword.
Cocoon let out a huge sigh. “What an exquisite gimmick! Most humans would piss themselves! Care to explain this grand research triumph?”
Fern exhaled in relief and started explaining. Sisilia relaxed a tad, but the creepy vibe lingered.
After listening, Cocoon grinned slyly. “Kuhehe, using Windsor Knights to take down Windsor Knights… A scheme worthy of the Seven Deadly Sins.”
“Right?”
Fern beamed, forgetting this was the real Sisilia—until her neck prickled. Right, priorities.
“Anyway, research succeeded! Lend me some cash!”
“A loan inquiry! Our Demon World Merchant Guild offers inter-dimensional service at 40% annual interest.”
“200,000 tera!”
“Quite the sum! Via Envy DC approval, a special 29% rate!”
Discount city. Sisilia approved. Hell, a steal—must close this deal.
But Fern smiled sweetly and raised a hand. “29% is steep! Make it 19%!”
“Apologies, but 19% on that amount is……”
“Then no deal.”
“!”
Fern turned away in a huff. Loans were prime merchant fodder—especially 200k tera in interest alone. Desperate, Cocoon wheedled.
Fern relented. “15% and I'll think about it.”
“Very well.”
Cocoon nodded, a touch regretful. Insane haggling, Sisilia marveled. Even slugs roll when they have to.
“We'll deliver 200,000 tera promptly. Anything else?”
“Wanna question the Demon God.”
“……!”
Cocoon backpedaled. “The Demon God? You're serious?”
“Fern's always serious.”
She shrugged. Cocoon rubbed his hands. Demon God One-Question Magic Tool.
Truth? Not the Demon God—an employee answers. Known info? Straight up. Unknown? BS it. Worth 200k tera? Nah, 10k to any merchant gets the dirt.
Monthly quota's safe. Cocoon's grin split ear-to-ear—literally. A black orb emerged from his saliva-slick mouth.
Gross, Sisilia swallowed bile.
“Behold, the magic tool to query the supreme being!”
“Wow!”
“Worth every tera!”
Fern cheered, arms skyward. Low-IQ clients are a blessing, Cocoon smirked, bowed, and vanished.
Fern promptly offered the orb to Sisilia. “Lady Sisilia, I did it!”
“Hmm……”
Even Sisilia, scam magnet, eyed it warily. That merchant screamed untrustworthy. But the question wasn't sensitive—any demon could answer.
“Simple: If the Demon King dies now, who becomes the next?”
“!”
Fern gaped. Sisilia nodded coolly. Trembling, Fern prostrated before the orb—knees red from a day of kneeling. Some real flexible knees, Sisilia mused lazily, chin propped. Wish it'd only kneel for me.
“If the Demon King dies, who becomes the next Demon King?”
The orb shattered instantly. Fern whipped her head around like a wooden puppet.
“Who's Beelzebub? Four Heavenly King?”
“Th-the radical leader. Super scary!”
Sisilia blinked. “Scarier than me?”
Fern pondered, then shook her head. “N-no……”
Cain's underling, then. Never sensed anyone bigger to her.
Quick calculations flashed: Kill the Demon King? Or not? Scenarios piled up, but Sisilia went with her gut.
“I want Cain as Demon King.”
“……Huh? Wh-what?”
A beautiful sword princess NPC driven by grudge against a Demon King? Total character gold. And no lie—she did hold a grudge. From that village kid's event item he'd smashed.
“Perfect.”
Sisilia nodded, pleased. Kill the Demon King. Install Cain Baltarion next. But not yet—timing was fixed.
“I'll kill him after vacation. Line up Cain in advance.”
Vacations were sacred.
“Huh?”
Long after Sisilia vanished, Fern tilted her head and glanced around. She'd glitched out.